Give Me All Your Love
by Snowflake Flower
Summary: Love is something that can't be taken; only given. But you can't choose who you want to give your love to. Shikamaru finds it ridiculously easy to love his sensei's son, but when Ino reaches out to him he's not sure how to reach back, if he even can.
1. Part One

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**WARNING: MILD SHIKATEMA**

**And you all know that I don't own Naruto, duh.**

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**Give Me All Your Love**

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**Part One**

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The war was over; Madara had fallen. Sasuke had his ass dragged back to Konoha (or what was left of it) via his Team 7 teammates. He was currently sequestered in a high-level prison cell underground, pending trial approaching. The only reason it was taking so long was that no one really knew what to do with him. He was a traitor, that was undeniable, but he was literally the last Uchiha surviving now. The power of the Sharingan wasn't something to be thrown away so easily.

Personally, Shikamaru thought the bastard could've just died and saved everyone the trouble. Then he wouldn't have to listen to the Lady Hokage ranting about how she didn't have a clue what to do with him. Why did he have to listen to her anyways? His dad was there too, and the old man could still cream his ass at shogi. Didn't that mean he was smarter?

But Shikamaru didn't think on it now, he and Chouji standing outside the medical tent and wincing as Kurenai gave out another piercing wail. Ino was inside the tent with their Lady Hokage and Sakura, helping to birth the baby. Asuma-sensei's baby.

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably.

It was finally happening. The legacy of his late sensei was coming, and Shikamaru wasn't sure if he was ready for it. He wasn't sure he was good enough, fast enough, strong enough… cool enough.

But it was coming.

He heard Ino give out a triumphant yell, and Kurenai one last scream before a new voice, one he had never heard before but was hearing now, started to cry.

Chouji looked at him, eyes wide with terror, and Shikamaru was sure he looked the same. The two looked at the tent, wondering if they should come in or wait for permission. Ino made the decision for them, poking her head out of the tent, sweat covering her face and a bright light in her eyes, like the sun shining in the blue sky.

"It's a boy!" she crowed, shoving the curtain aside and ushering them in. Chouji wasted no time, hunkering into the small tent, his big body just barely fitting through the opening. Shikamaru hesitated at the doorway, and Ino smiled softly and grabbed his hand. "C'mon," she said softly, and the shadow user allowed himself to be guided by her hand.

The first thing he saw was Sakura and the Lady Hokage, sweating and breathing deeply, but smiling with faint tears. The genius wondered if it was really that exhausting to help give birth to someone; he expected Kurenai to be sweating and panting, not the med nin's. But the thought was derailed when his gaze landed on his late sensei's lover lying on a cot, tired but unmistakably happy as she cuddled a bundle of blankets.

"Shikamaru, come see," she goaded, and Ino moved aside for her teammate. He knelt by her side, his eyes wide as Kurenai shifted her arms, showing him the little face that poked out of the bundle of blue blankets. The baby was awake, his face still red but no longer crying. He was fussing a little, pushing his little arms out of the blankets to feel the air.

"He's… he's…" Shikamaru started, unsure of what to say, unsure that there was just one word that could describe what he was seeing before him, right now, at this very moment. Kurenai seemed to know as well, what he was struggling with, and merely smiled.

"I want you to name him."

Shikamaru's eyes darted to her in shock. "Me?" he breathed, shaking. Did he have the right? But Kurenai just nodded, holding out her arms to gently lay her new baby into his arms. Shikamaru tensed, awkwardly holding him. The newborn stared at him through his dark eyes, a little hand reaching out for the new person, wanting to explore, to learn, to understand and discover.

"Can we… can we name him Asuma?"

Chouji grinned. Ino smiled. And Kurenai brushed her fingers across her son's forehead.

"Would I have expected anything else?"

He laughed and bent his head down to Asuma's searching hands, crying silent tears of happiness.

"Welcome home, Asuma."

* * *

The first thing Shikamaru noticed was that the door was unlocked. Normally, that wouldn't alarm him so much if he didn't know that Kurenai was currently on a mission, but then he remembered that Ino had volunteered to stay with baby Asuma for the night. That made him relax just the slightest, until he opened the door and saw more than one pair of sandals littering the entrance. Which is normally also not a problem, considering people came over to see Asuma all the time. But the unfamiliar sandals he saw were ones he knew belonged to Naruto and Sakura. And there was an extra pair placed neatly beside theirs. And there was only one person who followed those two around like a dog.

Uchiha Sasuke.

His heart pounded loudly beneath his chest, and Shikamaru whizzed into the nursery, where a three month old Yuuhi Asuma slept. He knew he shouldn't be so terrified, really, because Naruto and Sakura were there and they'd protect the baby to their last breath, but there was just something in him that rejected the idea of a bloodthirsty avenger in the same room with a baby, let alone the one that he swore he would protect.

Team 7 looked up when he barged into the room, Naruto and Sakura hovering over the crib while Sasuke stood a bit back, clearly uncomfortable. The innocently surprised looks he got from Naruto and Sakura made Shikamaru unclench his fists, shifting back to his default slouch. "Hey," he nodded, dark eyes wandering over to Asuma, who seemed to sense he was in the room. The baby started to giggle, grabbing his feet and kicking excitedly. Naruto and Sakura relayed greetings, the pink-haired medic gushing when Shikamaru stepped closer and lifted Asuma into his arms. "Hey 'Suma."

Asuma gurgled with happiness, tiny fingers reaching out, attempting to touch the shadow user's cheeks. Shikamaru bounced him lightly in his arms, dangling his finger in the baby's face, watching him try to grab it. "How'd you guys get in?" he asked nonchalantly, but listening intently for the answer. Naruto leaned on the side of the crib.

"Ino let us in. Said she had to go shopping or something." Shikamaru felt a burst of anger at Ino, wondering what was going through her head when she decided to leave Asuma in the hands of these three. He knew his fears were unfounded; Ino loved Asuma just as much as he did but he couldn't stop the emotion that sparked through him. He thought that at least she valued Asuma-sensei's son over her love of shopping. Apparently not.

"Ah," Shikamaru murmured, bouncing Asuma in his arms. Sakura was looking at him with starry eyes, her hands fidgeting with each other at her chest. The lazy genius looked at her, smirking. "Want to hold him?" he asked. Sakura lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Can I?" she asked reverently. Shikamaru nodded, careful as he handed the little baby over to the roseate. He knew he could trust Sakura with Asuma; all females had a maternal instinct, even if it was dormant because they themselves didn't have children.

Asuma looked curiously up at Sakura's green eyes and pink hair, wondering who this new person was and why she was so colourful. Some of the medic nin's short pink locks dangled in front of his face, and he tried to swipe at them, making baby noises. And that was when Shikamaru could see the kunoichi's heart melt. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Uwaah, Sakura-chan, lucky," Naruto said, moving closer to peer down at the baby. Asuma's head turned to him, curious. He could see blonde hair and blue eyes, and his little baby mind thought it was Ino at first. But Naruto's hair was a darker blonde than Ino's, and his skin too tan. So Asuma smiled and giggled at another newcomer, reaching out to try and discover him too.

"You can hold him too, Naruto," Shikamaru said, and the blonde froze, looking panicked. He didn't know how to hold a baby.

Sakura seemed to sense his trepidation, and smiled softly. "Here," she said to him, easing Asuma into his awkwardly placed arms. The medic nin adjusted them when her hands were free, making sure Asuma's head was supported properly. Naruto just let himself be manipulated like a doll, too busy staring astonished at the little baby in his arms. Asuma was still making baby noises and reaching out for Naruto's face, close enough to see that the new person had strange markings on his face.

"He's… he's so tiny," Naruto breathed with shock, his arms trembling a little. "Teme, look, isn't he so small?"

Everyone turned to look at Sasuke, who shifted slightly at suddenly being the centre of attention. He tried to ignore the shadow user's piercing gaze, keeping his determinedly on Naruto and the baby. Unsure of what to say, the Uchiha just nodded, hands stuffed into his pockets. A tongue clucked in disapproval, and everyone turned to the doorway where Ino stood, arms crossed.

"Really Naruto, don't use such vulgar language in front of Su-kun. You'll corrupt him." The purple-clad kunoichi walked forward, taking Asuma into her arms and cooing softly to him, grinning when he started to grab at her long hair. Ino nuzzled her nose into his cheek, and he shrieked with laughter. Shikamaru felt his annoyance sizzle up again, and he regarded his teammate coolly.

"What'd you buy?" he asked, and Ino looked at him. She seemed to sense his anger and turned her own frosty gaze on him.

"Food. Kurenai's fridge is empty, so she left some money for me to go grocery shopping." Shikamaru nodded, his anger dissipating now that he knew the reason and settling lazily against the wall. Ino smiled at his overprotectiveness and continued to coo to Asuma while Naruto and Sakura hovered over her.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto started, looking up at the former avenger, "don't you want to hold him?"

Everyone froze.

"Naruto—" Sakura started, wanting to explain to him why they wouldn't be a good idea, given that Shikamaru and Ino were here. But Ino interrupted her, looking up into Sasuke's black eyes.

"Sure."

Shikamaru's fists clenched. He knew Ino's crush on Sasuke was long gone; she had moved onto Sai, right? So he knew that her offering to let Sasuke hold Asuma wasn't on some fancy whim.

It was a test.

If an innocent baby could accept being held by a man who once punched a hole through his friend's chest, then this man was worth trying to reform. Shikamaru was partly relieved that it was Ino who was holding Asuma. A stronger man would've been able to hand that baby over to a person like Sasuke, and although Shikamaru was strong he knew he wasn't _that_ strong. So he shifted against the wall, ready to take Asuma out of the avenger's arms in a second, but trusting his teammate's judgement to give the avenger a chance.

Ino stepped forward and Sasuke took a step back.

"I don't—" he started, but Ino glared at him. There was an unspoken demand storming in her blue eyes, and the Uchiha promptly clipped his mouth shut. Asuma was silent in the blonde's arms, sensing the tension in the air.

Sasuke reached his arms out, hands trembling slightly as Ino eased Asuma into his arms. The baby looked up at him curiously, seeing lots of dark colours, wondering faintly if it was Shikamaru. But the black looked more bluish than normal, and the skin too pale to be his Shikamaru. So he gurgled and reached his hands out, wanting to learn about this new person as well. Sasuke obliged, leaning his head down, letting the baby's hands pat his cheeks.

Asuma roamed his hands along Sasuke's face, catching his fingers in the avenger's mouth. Laughing, he tugged on the bottom lip and grabbed at the soft blue hair, and that was when a collective sigh rippled through the room. Clear.

Ino took Asuma into her arms again, relieving Sasuke of his burden. The blonde looked at him for a long while, her gaze searching. He met her gaze coolly, but Naruto and Sakura could tell he was uncomfortable. Ino's stare tended to do that to people. When she looked at you, _really_ looked at you, it was like she was peeling back the layers of your mind, discovering everything that made you tick. It was unnerving.

But Ino smiled brightly, a string of malice underlying the curve of her lips. "Last chance Sasuke-kun," she told him, her tone sweet but mocking when she said his name. "Don't screw it up."

Sasuke nodded, his eyes gravely serious. He knew that, and he wasn't going to mess it up. Ino nodded with satisfaction before turning her back to him and placing Asuma in the crib. As she straightened, Shikamaru saw a happy sparkle in her eyes and knew that although she hadn't forgiven him, she was giving him a chance. And that was enough for Shikamaru to give him one too.

"So are you guys staying for dinner? I'm making tempura!"

* * *

Shikamaru sighed tiredly, trudging up the few steps of Kurenai's little house, fishing around in his pockets for the key. Kurenai was away on a mission again, and as always, Team Ten was in charge of baby Asuma while she was gone. Sometimes she recruited Team Eight, but inevitably his team always found out about it, and _always_ dropped by to check on their little bundle of joy.

That really was what Asuma was; a bundle of joy. And that wasn't just because he always seemed to be smiling and laughing and playing. He was the first baby to be born after the war, a symbol of peace and hope and new beginnings. Naruto (and by extension Sasuke) came by often, usually tagging behind Hinata or Sakura and Ino, leaning over the cradle and watching the baby sleep, or play, or fuss. Shikamaru supposed Asuma was inspiration for the blonde, a motivator to work harder, be cooler.

The lock clicked, and the lazy genius pushed the door open, seeing toys scattered over a plush carpet. Ino was kneeling on the carpet, Asuma in front of her as he laughed and giggled while she made funny faces and blurt out strange noises. The kunoichi looked up when he came in, smiling brightly. "Hey Su-kun look who's here!" Ino exclaimed excitedly, picking the eight month old baby up with ease, turning him to the doorway. "It's Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru felt the corner of his lip tug up, his heart warming at the sight of his blonde teammate and his sensei's son. Ino tickled Asuma, who shrieked and giggled, trying to twist away. "Careful," he told her, and she glared half-heartedly up at him.

"Duh, I know that," she snarked, placing a letter block in front of Asuma, who picked it up and started gnawing a corner. Shikamaru settled on the other side of Asuma, smirking when the baby abandoned his toy to crawl over to him. He lifted the baby up with ease, blowing a raspberry into his stomach. Asuma squealed in laughter and Ino joined him. She never got tired of that; watching the gentleness with which Shikamaru handled Asuma.

The baby boy was set back on the carpet, and crawled towards some of his other toys. Ino shifted to sit beside Shikamaru, both of them watching as Asuma grabbed his pacifier and stuffed it in his mouth before heading for the fluffy bunny on his right. He amused himself wonderfully, allowing Ino to let her focus shift towards the chunin beside her, who was still watching the baby with a steady gaze.

"How's life?" she asked. He shrugged but didn't break his surveillance on Asuma.

"Troublesome," he replied, and she rolled her eyes.

"Naturally," she snorted, nudging him. "Any new missions? Is there a certain Sand kunoichi you have to show around the village?" Shikamaru flushed pink at her teasing, shifting uncomfortably. Ino's mouth dropped; he had never reacted that way before. "What happened?" she demanded, grabbing the collar of his flak jacket and tugging his face to hers. Shikamaru jolted in surprise, blinking at her determined face. She was such a nosy girl.

"S-she just came by yesterday," he replied, looking away, trying desperately not to let his feelings show. But Ino was a hound for sniffing out juicy gossip; his attempt at nonchalance wasn't going to fool her. She glared at him, and he quailed inwardly under her stare. "And… we maybe… might be… y'know, going out," Shikamaru mumbled, his face turning red. He expected Ino to shriek with glee and fangirlishness, as was her normal reaction to learning about a new couple. That was how she reacted when Chouji told her he was now on 'friend' terms with Ayame at Ichiraku.

But when Shikamaru didn't feel his brain splitting from high-voltage screams, and Ino's hands slipped from his flak jacket, confusion spread over him. He looked at her, and she was blinking stupidly, her mouth parted just the slightest as something swept over her eyes, taking over her. He didn't recognize the emotion, but it was scaring him. "Ino?" he prodded gently, and she jumped.

"O-oh!" she answered, breathless. "Sorry, sorry, I just didn't see that coming, was all." Her laugh was awkward and a bit forced as she turned to scoop Asuma up in her arms. "Right Su-kun? Who would've thought that this lazy idiot finally got the guts to get a girlfriend, huh?" Shikamaru's face fell into one of annoyance. Nope, still the same old Ino.

"Yeah, well, this lazy idiot is still right here," he grumbled, and Ino just smiled and played with Asuma. Shikamaru watched them for a while, observing Ino a little closer than he normally would. Despite his earlier dismissal, there was still something wrong that he couldn't place his finger on, but no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to him.

Asuma was trying to find his pacifier that Ino hid in a pile of toys when Shikamaru stood up, alerting her but not Asuma. "I have to go," he said, padding to the door. Ino nodded, her blue eyes tracking his form to the door.

"Mission?" she asked as he unlocked the door, his cheeks pink.

"Date," he replied shortly, and Ino's eyes widened before settling into a smirk.

"Have fun!" she exclaimed, waving goodbye. "Don't go making any playmates for Asuma, y'hear?" Shikamaru flushed furiously, closing the door a little harder than he would normally have as he stalked out of the house. What a troublesome woman!

* * *

Asuma flipped his fluffy bunny over, eyes sparkling triumphantly as he finally found his pacifier. He grabbed it, popping it into his mouth and turning towards his blonde caretaker to show her he succeeded in their modified hide-and-seek game. She was sitting motionless where he left her, head turned towards the closed door.

Confused at why she was looking at something so uninteresting, Asuma crawled forward, placing his little hands on her knees. She looked at him, smiling softly. "Hey, you found it," Ino said, lifting him into her arms, burying her face into his little shoulder. "You're such a smart boy," she praised, and Asuma didn't understand why something wet was dribbling on his clothes, or why she was giving him happy words but sounded so… not happy. But it didn't really matter, because she was sad, and Asuma didn't want her to be sad, so he hugged her tighter.

* * *

Shikamaru smiled as he stood with the group of people huddling around the table, watching the cake with the single candle being placed in front of the birthday boy. Asuma was smiling happily, looking around at all the people and the pretty light in front of him. "Mama!" he exclaimed when Kurenai came into view, holding a camera. He had started talking a few weeks ago, but most of it was gibberish except for 'mama'. Ino had squealed for ten whole minutes, urging him to keep saying it. He did, of course, feeding off of Ino's excitement and laughing when she made it such a huge deal.

"… happy birthday to Su-kun, happy birthday to you~!"

Shikamaru grinned, clapping as the song finished, watching Kurenai blow the single candle out for her now one year old son. Asuma clapped his hands together gleefully, looking around at all the people who came to visit. Shikamaru imagined it was a bit overwhelming for the kid, but he took it all in stride.

"Okay, cake time!" Ino sing-songed, brandishing a knife. No one was worried that she was holding a knife so close to Asuma; they were ninja. Handling sharp weaponry was sort of their job. In fact, it seemed to amuse the baby, who reached out for the kitchen blade. Ino expertly dangled it out of his reach, meticulously cutting the cake to hand out.

The shadow user took the time to observe his female teammate. She hadn't really changed during the past few months, but there was always something hovering above her head that Shikamaru still couldn't put his finger on. It could be ignored, but never for too long, always coming back, dangling itself in his face, making him wonder. There were no clues, either, in the way she acted or dressed or spoke. Ino was Ino, the same spunky, ever-optimistic, cheerful girl he had known as a kid. But still, he felt like something was… off.

Trying not to dwell on it, Shikamaru watched Ino turn with a slice of cake towards Asuma, grinning at him. "Want one, Su-kun?" she asked, and Asuma just stared at her for a second. Ino blinked in confusion. "Su-kun?"

The baby giggled. "No!" he exclaimed, and everyone's mouths dropped. Another word!

"No?" Ino repeated, grinning widely. "You don't want the cake Su-kun?" Asuma shrieked in laughter.

"No!" Everyone laughed, and Ino grinned devilishly.

"Oh, well then I suppose I'll just leave with it then," she replied nonchalantly, taking a step away from his chair. But then he looked like he was about to cry, his little hands reaching out for the blonde.

"No!" he yelled again. "No!" Ino panicked a little, coming forward and placing the cake in front of him. She soothed him by running her hand through his short brown hair.

"I'm sorry, its okay Su-kun you can have it." But Asuma ignored the cake, his lips twisted in another cry as he reached his chubby hands towards Ino.

"No!" he yelled again. Everyone was really puzzled now, wondering what he wanted, or didn't want. But Shikamaru saw how Asuma tried to struggle out of his high chair, reaching to Ino with desperation, the 'no' falling repeatedly from his lips. And that was when he knew.

"He's saying your name."

Everyone turned to him, wondering what he was going on about. But Shikamaru smirked, coming to stand beside Ino. Asuma looked at him, sniffling a little. "Shii!" he exclaimed. Their mouth's all dropped. Shikamaru gestured Chouji to join them, and Asuma turned to him to shout, "Cho!" much to the Akimichi's pleasure and surprise.

Ino stood between her two teammates, still trying to wrap her head around Shikamaru's revelation. "Su-kun," she started, leaning forward and pointing to herself. "Who am I?"

"'No!" he replied.

"And him?" She pointed to Shikamaru.

"Shii!"

"And him?" She pointed to Chouji.

"Cho!"

Ino observed him for a moment, straightening back up and standing equal with Shikamaru and Chouji. "Su-kun," Ino smiled, "who are we?" Asuma giggled, clapping his hands.

"'No-Shii-Cho!"

It was silent in the room for about five seconds.

"What? No fair, Su-kun, what's my name?" Kiba exclaimed, shoving himself between Chouji and Ino. Ino glared, punching him in the head.

"Let me have my moment!" she snarled, before turning back to Asuma with a sweet smile. "What's my name Su-kun?" she cooed.

"'No!" Asuma repeated. Naruto butt in at that moment too, pointing to himself.

"Ne, ne, Su-kun, call me Hokage! Ho-ka-ge!"

But Asuma smiled sunnily up at him and said, "Beh!"

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Beh?"

Sakura tried to stifle her laughter. "I think he's trying to say 'dobe'."

"… TEME! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TEACH HIM?"

Everyone laughed when Naruto went charging towards the reformed Uchiha, who simply smirked with satisfaction.

* * *

The streets were bustling with activity as Shikamaru strolled along, Asuma a little over a year old and riding atop his shoulders. He was walking alongside the shadow user a few minutes ago, but fussed about being tired, forcing the chunin to do something about it. Not that Shikamaru minded, given how Asuma was so happy about the new perspective he was granted.

So the duo strolled along the streets, waving to people who said hello. Everyone knew about Asuma, and everyone loved him. Shikamaru always found himself accosted by civilians, mostly old ladies and teenage girls, who gushed over the little boy. Asuma accepted them with his usual baby way, acting cuter and nicer when the teenage girls were around. It made him wonder if his sensei's son would grow up to be some sort of pretty-boy heartthrob like the Uchiha. (That would be really troublesome.)

Shikamaru heard someone call his name, and turned. They were near the gates of Konoha, and a familiar blonde was standing there with her arms crossed. For a moment, Shikamaru wondered if Ino was back from her mission yet (she was due to arrive back today), but noticed the woman at the gates had teal eyes instead of sky blue ones. He blinked in surprise when he realized who it was.

It was Temari.

Frowning, Shikamaru started towards his girlfriend of five months. He didn't remember anyone telling him she would be arriving in Konoha. Usually she was here on business, or he was in Suna on business, and that was really the only time they spent together. It wasn't a lot, a few times a month, but it worked for the two of them and Shikamaru didn't really feel like changing it. He knew Temari was hinting that she'd like him to be closer to her (he was a genius, how could he not know?) but Shikamaru couldn't just up and move to Suna. Konoha was his home, and Asuma needed him.

"Hey," he greeted her. Asuma, who was normally very talkative (gibberish-wise) was silent now, his little hands fisted in Shikamaru's spiky ponytail. "What're you doing here? Tsunade-sama didn't mention you were coming." Temari's eyes narrowed a little, but she shrugged nonchalantly, her arms still crossed.

"I decided to surprise you," she replied, something in her tone daring him to question her. But Shikamaru never did, so he just nodded absentmindedly.

"Okay."

Temari shifted nervously in the silence that followed. "So do you want to do something?" she asked, and Shikamaru blinked in mild surprise. She never really asked him like that before, and usually just stated what they were doing or where they were going and he followed along. But Shikamaru couldn't really do that now; Asuma was with him.

"Can't. I have to take care of 'Suma," he informed her, and Temari's eyes flickered up to the little boy, surprised as if she just noticed he was there. The Suna kunoichi shifted uncomfortably as she stared up at the little boy, who was also giving her wary looks.

"His mom's not around?" she asked, and Shikamaru shook his head.

"Kurenai's on a mission. She'll be back by tomorrow, I think. We could do something then." But Temari shook her head as well, her lips twisting in a grimace.

"I'm leaving early tomorrow," she told him. Shikamaru hummed in displeasure. He didn't want to blow his girlfriend off because he knew how much time they didn't get to spend together, but Asuma was his responsibility right now. He supposed he could ask Chouji, even though it would require interrupting his date with Ayame. But it wasn't like they would mind, right? Ayame loved Asuma just like every other civilian in the city. Then again, two days ago Chouji just came back from a month-long mission. He and Ayame probably missed each other like hell.

But Temari was giving him _that_ look, like if he didn't spend time with her she was gonna stay mad at him for a long, long time. And Temari could do it, too; she _still_ called him a crybaby.

Shikamaru frowned deeper, trying to think of someone who could take care of Asuma for the day. There weren't a whole lot of people he trusted with his sensei's son, so the list was short. There was _one_ person he could ask, but their house was halfway across the village, and Temari's temper looked pretty short. He could get there in a few minutes and come back quickly if he roof-hopped, but he wasn't even sure the person would say yes, so roof-hopping with Asuma and back could be tiring and troublesome.

"Watch him for a sec," Shikamaru said, depositing Asuma into Temari's arms. She tensed, eyes wide with shock at the little boy looking up at her, terrified. Shikamaru had disappeared before Temari could protest, leaving her uncomfortably holding a little baby boy who looked ready to cry.

"H-hi?" Temari spoke uncertainly, panicking when he started to cry, trying to twist out of her arms. She struggled to hold onto him, whispering, "Don't cry, please don't cry!" only for him to wail louder. There was laughter behind her, and Temari turned to glare at the person laughing at her expense, only to recognize the blonde with blue eyes.

"Hi Temari," she greeted, looking dusty and a little worse for wear. There were a few cuts on her body, blood-soaked bandages decorating her arms. "Hi Su-kun," she cooed, stepping forward and relieving the Suna kunoichi of her burden. Temari sighed with mental relief, Asuma quieting as soon as he was in the arms of someone he knew. "Where's Shikamaru?" she asked, and Temari shrugged.

"He just handed me the kid and took off," she replied. Ino hummed with the new information, bouncing Asuma in her arms to calm him some more.

"Are you guys spending the day together?" she asked. Temari shrugged.

"He said he needed to take care of the kid." Ino bristled inwardly at how the fan user continually addressed her Su-kun, but let it go. Instead, the three of them just stood in silence, waiting for Shikamaru to come back, which he did about two minutes later.

"Okay, so I got Hinata-san to take care of 'Suma," he said, only to catch sight of Ino holding the baby. His eyes widened. "Ino! You're ba—" he started, unable to finish because her foot slammed into the side of his face, her own darkening comically in anger. Temari blinked in astonishment at the fast kick, admiring the kunoichi's speed.

"Lazy idiot!" Ino reprimanded. "Don't you know Hinata-chan's first date is with Naruto today? Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Ino kept pelting the other chunin with kicks, her ire not fading as she railed on him. Asuma laughed at the scene, being jostled in Ino's arms and enjoying it. Shikamaru was flustered as he blocked Ino's kicks, getting back up on his feet.

"I can't just leave Temari alone!" he defended, and Ino rolled her eyes.

"You can, oh I don't know, take Su-kun along with you?" she suggested. "It's not like you'll be doing indecent things—_oooh_!" Ino smirked, and Shikamaru flushed a bright red.

"Ino, it's not like that!" he exclaimed, and Ino pretended not to hear him.

"No worries, no worries! I understand completely, two lovers separated by hundreds of miles, impatiently waiting for the next time they'll meet before they—"

"_Ino_!" Shikamaru yelled, and Ino grinned devilishly. She placed her sandal on his back, pushing him towards his girlfriend. He tumbled into her, but Temari was able to steady him so they wouldn't fall on the ground. All the better for her, Ino thought. She didn't think she could see them in such a couple-y position.

"Seriously, go out and be with your girlfriend. I'll take care of Asuma for the day _and_ go tell Hinata her date with Naruto is still on." Ino turned swiftly, headed towards the Hokage tower to hand in her mission report. She shifted Asuma in her arms, trying to lessen the load on her arms. Asuma shuffled to peer over her shoulder, making crying noises and reaching out for Shikamaru.

"Shii-nii!" he yelled, sniffling. Ino stroked his back to sooth him, but the little boy wouldn't relent. Shikamaru smiled softly at the action, stepping forward and alerting Ino to his approach. She turned fully, facing him so the shadow user could ruffle the baby's hair.

"Sorry 'Suma," he apologized. "I'll hang out with you tomorrow, okay?" Asuma sniffled, shaking his head. He reached his arms out for Shikamaru again, lips pursing.

"Kiss!" he demanded, and the two chunin's looked at each other in surprise. Asuma had never asked that of them before. But his face was set in that stubborn line, and they both knew he wouldn't relent until he got what he wanted. But Shikamaru hesitated, wondering if kissing him would be considered 'uncool'. Ino seemed to pick up on his thoughts and grinned as she rolled her eyes.

"He's not gonna remember it, Shikamaru," she told him, mirth lacing her voice. Shikamaru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and muttering his favourite word under his breath before leaning down, lips brushing against Asuma's forehead.

"Be good for Ino-nee-chan, okay?" he whispered, and Asuma giggled. When he looked up, Ino was smiling with a tear in her eye, alarming him. "What's wrong?" he asked, and she shook her head silently, clearing her unfallen tears with a finger.

"Nothing, nothing," she laughed, and that was when Shikamaru noticed the bloodied bandages on her arms. His eyes narrowed in concern, and he snagged her wrist, bringing it closer for inspection. Ino was surprised at his sudden handling of her body, flushing red and trying to pull her arm back.

"It's not that bad," she insisted, and it really wasn't. She had healed them already while coming back to Konoha, after her chakra replenished. But Shikamaru still looked at them, worried. He even peeled back some of the bandages, just to check that she was telling the truth and not being macho. He let her go once his inspection was finished, satisfied that they weren't anything serious. Ino smirked. "Told you." Shikamaru sighed and shook his head.

"You never change, Ino," he chuckled. Ino grinned.

"You bet I don't." Between them, Asuma squealed with laughter and clapped his hands, trying to get their attention. The two of them looked down at him, laughing and smiling. They didn't noticed Temari on the sidelines, feeling very third wheel-ish.

"Shikamaru! Let's go!" she called, and he turned to her, his smile dropping into its customary slight frown. The difference made something twist inside her, a little voice telling her it looked oddly like a mask falling over a face, hiding the true feelings behind a façade. She ignored the voice, focusing on how Shikamaru broke off from his teammate and the baby, heading towards her. Temari's eyes lingered on Ino and Asuma, her gaze calculating.

'_I'm not giving him up without a fight._'

Ino smiled sadly, turning away towards the Hokage's tower. The action puzzled Temari. She was expecting a glare back in return; a declaration of war from the usually competitive Yamanaka. Not this… this grim acceptance.

"Are we going?" Shikamaru's voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up into his dark gaze. It was unreadable.

"… yeah."

* * *

Shikamaru heaved a sigh as he lay back on the grass of his favourite hilltop, looking up at the clouds. Chouji gave him a concerned glance from the corner of his eyes, his big hands enveloped in Asuma's tiny hands as the baby stood up, babbling incoherently. He was about a year and a half now, learning the names of all his other friends and always listening to discover new words, trying to fit them into sentences.

"Bad day?" Chouji asked sympathetically, but Shikamaru sighed again.

"More like a bad week," he muttered although Chouji heard him loud and clear. "Temari's mad at me." The Akimichi hummed in thought, letting Asuma toddle over to Shikamaru and flop on his flak jacket. The little boy giggled, playing with the pockets.

"Oh? Why?" he asked, and Shikamaru scowled.

"Hell if I'd know. Women are so troublesome." The shadow user reached out, lifting Asuma onto his stomach and playing absentmindedly with him. Chouji watched him with a strangely sad look on his face, although he couldn't see it, too caught up in Asuma giggling frantically at his fingers.

"I guess so. But maybe we're sort of at fault, y'know?" he chuckled. "For falling in love with them in the first place." Shikamaru sat up abruptly at Chouji's nonchalant statement, flushing pink. Asuma yelled and giggled as he toppled off of the flak jacket, landing on the soft grass.

"W-what? Chouji, don't be ridiculous, I don't love Temari," Shikamaru protested, flustered. Chouji chuckled, patting his best friend on the back in hollow comfort.

"No worries, Shikamaru. We were all in denial at some point," he told the lazy genius. The pink stayed stubbornly on Shikamaru's cheeks as he picked at the grass, following Asuma's lead.

"Okay, fine, so maybe I'm a little bit in love with her. Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, and Asuma looked up at him, curious. He clapped his hands for attention, making the two shinobi look at him and his petulantly curious pout.

"Shii-nii, Cho-nii, what 'love'?" he asked cutely, and the two adults froze. What the hell were they supposed to say to that? Men were basically idiots when it came to anything regarding love. Sure they felt it and stuff, but trying to rationalize and explain it to a one and a half year old? Kami shoot them now.

"Ah, well, you see Su-kun," Chouji stammered. He looked at his best friend, panicked. "Shikamaru, you tell him." Shikamaru froze, dark eyes shifting for a way out when Asuma turned to him with those damn eyes. He spotted a shock of blonde hair coming up the hill.

"Look, 'Suma, it's Ino-nee-chan!" he said quickly, jabbing in her direction. Ino heard him as she came into view, blinking at the oddly random gesture. Asuma brightened and toddled over to her, hugging her leg, chanting her name.

"'No-nee-chan! 'No-nee-chan! What 'love'?" he asked again as Ino bent down to pick him up. Ino seemed mildly surprised at the question, but then a beautiful smile blossomed over her face, and she hugged Asuma tightly to her chest. For a moment, Shikamaru thought she was going to do that sickening baby talk thing and gush and squeal about how she loved her little Su-kun so, so much. But the kunoichi simply ran her fingers lightly over his dark hair, settling on the grass in front of her teammates. And for the first time _ever_, Shikamaru felt a peaceful serenity in her as she stood Asuma on his little feet and looked him soundly in the eyes.

"Su-kun," she started, pointing to her heart hidden under her purple shirt, "what's this?"

"Heart!" Asuma crowed proudly. Ino nodded her head, smiling and ruffling his hair. He giggled, batting her hands away.

"Yes, heart. That's where your love comes from, Su-kun," she told him, and he looked confusedly at her chest. Asuma reached forward, poking the place where her finger was.

"Love here?" he asked, and Ino laughed lightly but shook her head, taking his finger away. Shikamaru and Chouji watched silently, thoughtfully, as she turned Asuma's finger, pointing it at his own heart.

"No, Su-kun. Your love comes from here," she told him. Her finger pointed at her own heart again. "And mine from here. And Shii-nii-san and Cho-nii-san from their hearts. And when you love someone, Su-kun, you give them a little bit of your heart." Asuma thought about that for a little, his mouth twisting in confusion. But then it pouted in irritation and he stamped his foot.

"No!" he exclaimed, this time meaning the actual word instead of his strange nickname for Ino. "Want all 'No-nee-chan's heart!" He rushed forward, grabbing at the place where her heart was. Ino's face fell sadly, but there was still a soft smile on her face as she swept Asuma into a hug, kissing the crown of his head.

"I can't give you all my heart, Su-kun," Ino told him softly, trying to get him to stop squirming in her arms. But he kept struggling, tearing up because his sister wasn't giving him what he wanted, like she usually did. So he screamed harder.

"Want heart! Want 'No-nee-chan's heart!" he screamed, tugging and pulling with his eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a stubborn frown. When he wasn't showing signs of stopping his little temper tantrum, Ino's face hardened just the slightest and she yanked him away from her arms, cupping his chubby face between her palms and forcing him to look at her.

"Asuma-kun," she warned, shocking all three of her boys. She never called Asuma by his full name before; only Kurenai did that and only when she was angry at him.

Asuma started to cry when he realized that his big sister was mad at him, and Ino's face immediately softened. She tugged him back into her arms, shushing him, stroking her fingers through his short hair in comfort. His cries lessened to hiccups, face buried in Ino's shirt. She didn't seem to mind that it had tears and snot and saliva all over it.

"Su-kun," Ino murmured, "love isn't something that can be taken. It has to be given, and even then you don't get to choose who to give it to." Here, her lips curved up bitterly, and Shikamaru felt anger swell in him at the sight of such a broken expression on a woman who otherwise rivalled the sun when she smiled. He swore he would kill the guy who made her look like that, like defeat was the only option left.

"Ino," Chouji whispered, and she looked up, a little surprised like she had forgotten they were there. A sheepish smile spread over her lips, and she laughed awkwardly.

"Not that you'd have to worry about that, Su-kun," she said, Eskimo-kissing him as he laughed. "Ino-nee-chan already loves you lots, yeah? She's already given you a BIIIG chunk of her heart!" Asuma giggled, escaping out of her arms and the Eskimo kiss, running to shelter himself behind Chouji. Ino prowled around Chouji, grinning mischievously, like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse. Asuma squealed and ran away as Ino leapt at him, this time hiding behind Shikamaru. Ino settled on her haunches, pretending to observe her nails and ignore the two men sitting on her right. Asuma watched her carefully, inching out from behind Shikamaru to see if she was really done with chasing him.

Obviously not, since she pounced a second later, making him squeal and run away.

Shikamaru and Chouji laughed as they watched their teammate and their sensei's son running around the hill, partaking in a game of cat-and-mouse. A little while later, she managed to drag the both of them into it too and the game suddenly changed into tag, with Shikamaru as the 'it' person.

The lazy genius sighed, rolling his eyes good-naturedly as he watched his precious people run away from him, yelling and screaming. Asuma was trying to keep up on his little feet, a toothy grin on his face as Chouji jogged to give the toddler a chance to catch up. Between them, Ino was grinning brightly, her eyes looking as they were plucked out of the very sky itself as she baited Shikamaru to catch her with lewd gestures. A devilish grin rolled across his face as he stood, his shadow lengthening across the grassy hill.

"How troublesome."

* * *

"That's all anything ever is to you, huh?"

"What?"

"… I don't think I can do this anymore, Shikamaru. I don't think I can keep pretending that one day you'll come with me to Suna, and I don't think you can keep pretending that our relationship will really work. It won't."

"Temari, wait—"

"Goodbye, Shikamaru."

"Temari! _TEMARI!_"

* * *

Ino gasped, shooting up in the guest bedroom at Kurenai's house when she felt the vibrations through the floor. A second later, loud bangs started to register in her ears and she realized someone was at the door. The clock beside her blinked dully, and she groaned, running a hand through her unbound hair and slipping out of bed. She stalked through the hallways with a thin robe on, swinging the door open furiously to give a piece of her mind to the idiot on the other side. I mean really, who the hell was trying to break the house down at three frickin' a.m. in the morning?

"I don't know if you realize, but there's a two year old on the other side of this door that took _forever_ for me to get to bed so if you don't—Shikamaru?"

Ino blinked dumbfoundedly at her fellow teammate standing at the welcome mat, his hands gripping the sides of the doorway, head lowered. There was an acute shaking to his shoulders that Ino could barely make out in the dim moonlight, but it sent a wave of concern crashing over her. Shikamaru always lowered his head to cry, trying to block his pain so others would worry about him. But Ino always worried.

"Shikamaru?" she tried again, placing a hand on his face. He jerked away from her touch, but not fast enough for her to miss the wetness on his cheeks. "Shikamaru," she breathed, placing a hand on his shaking arm. "Come inside, come on," Ino goaded, leading him into the house and closing the door silently behind them. The kunoichi was half expecting Asuma to come toddling out the room to see what was going on, but he thankfully remained fast asleep.

Ino led Shikamaru over to the couch, letting him sink into it with some sort of relief, burying his face in his hands and taking a few gasping breaths. Ino kneeled on the plush carpet in front of him, brushing her fingers across his hands that stubbornly shielded his face. "What happened?" she asked, and he choked on a breath. She let out a silent sigh, knowing that it was useless trying to talk to him now, when he was like this. So she simply wound her arms around his shoulders, bumping her shoulder against his face. His reaction was immediate, arms snapping around her back and shoving her closer to him, letting his tears seep into her thin robe.

They stayed like that for long minutes, Shikamaru breathing in the sweet lilac scent of her shampoo, his arms steel bands around her body. She was softer under him, rubbing his back with soothing strokes, murmuring hushing sounds and nonsensical comforts in his ear. "I'm here, its okay," she kept repeating, pressing her lips gently to his temple a few times. "Just let it out, Shika, I'm right here."

Shika. Ino hadn't called him that since they were kids. She stopped after they entered the Ninja Academy, of course, making a bunch of new friends and discovering that it was 'uncool' to be seen with guys like him and Chouji. And then she was stuck on a team with them, and started bossing them around. They always followed her orders, of course; risking her wrath was never a good idea. But right now, Shikamaru could only remember that Ino was always there for him; that Ino never denied him anything that he really wanted, even though it was hard to tell because the lazy genius rarely ever asked for anything. Sitting here, breathing in her scent, all Shikamaru knew was that he needed her right now, more than anyone else in the world. More than Asuma, more than Chouji, more than… Temari.

"Ino…"

She felt her robe slipping off her shoulders, and Shikamaru's warm breath on her neck. Somehow, the woman knew that it would come to this. That all she'd ever have of Shikamaru's love were shallow imitations, brought on by sadness and grief and total desperation. But feeling his arms around her, his lips against her skin, Ino didn't care. She'd take whatever she could get. And then she'd lock it in her heart and cherish it forever.

"_Shika…_"


	2. Part Two

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**So guess who finally got off her lazy butt?**

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* * *

**Give Me All Your Love**

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**PART TWO**

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* * *

She woke just as the sunrise splayed dull orange highlights on the white blanket. His breath was a gentle rhythm on her bare skin, inciting little bumps to rise out of their depths. A stiffness marred her movements, similar in pain but different in area. They were easily ignored, a skill requiring a strong will and lots of experience (which, as a ninja, she had). She turned her attention to the strong jaw line obscuring her view, prickling with short stubble that she knew was ticklish and yet erotic when rubbed against her skin.

Her eyes blinked to stall the tears, flickering up and watching Shikamaru's serene face above hers. Ino didn't move for a moment, struck by the gravity of what this meant, looking up into his sleeping face, feeling the heavy weight of his arm draped over her waist. Because although she had woken up to the one thing she'd love more than anything to see, Shikamaru was going to wake up and see something he wanted nothing more than to forget.

Her lower lip quivered, but she bit the sobs back, breathing deeply through her nose to dissipate the building tears. Lying here, in his arms, Ino wished it had happened differently. What they did together; what they shared, Ino wished it wasn't a mistake. She wished that _she_ wasn't a mistake.

Her fingers traced the stubble of his jaw, and he leaned closer to her hand whilst still snoring softly. There were bags under his eyes, though fainter than yesterday when he had almost knocked the door down to talk to her. Recently, Shikamaru had been promoted to jounin and he started performing more A-ranks and S-ranks. His genius, elevating him to a higher status than normal for a newbie jounin, made him extremely desirable for high-risk missions.

But that was irrelevant to Ino as she brushed back some of his hair. Right now, all she knew was that he was tired and he needed rest. He needed oblivion and peace and silence. More than anyone, a Yamanaka knew how dangerous stress was on the mind, what horrible repercussions it had for the everyday person, let alone a genius like her Shikamaru.

'Her' Shikamaru? Ino smiled bitterly, reminding her brain that this particular Nara belonged to the same person who tore out a chunk of his heart. He was going to hurt for a while, she knew. He'd hide it with his apathy and laziness, but Ino knew his heart would bleed for months while it tried to heal itself. And even when the wound was all closed up, there was going to be a horrible, thick, jagged scar in its place. A reminder. A reminder of his mistakes.

And then he was going to look at her, at Ino, and that scar would throb angrily. It was going to remind him, threatening to re-open, his heart was going to remind him, "Remember what you did to her? Remember how you used her for your own selfishness?" even though Ino was going to deny it with everything she had. Because she wasn't going to let herself be his mistake; Ino was going to fight with everything she had to be that something right in his life.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Ino rose from her stagnant position on her side and stared down at her teammate. A silent bubble of laughter popped in her sternum.

"Sakura is going to kill me," she giggled, running a hand through her loose hair. And to think, just the other day she told the roseate she wasn't going to do anything stupid.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the blonde kunoichi disentangled herself from the bed and from Shikamaru, quietly gathering clothes for her morning shower. Waking so early in the morning, Ino figured she'd be able to start making breakfast just in time for Asuma to get out of bed. The little tyke usually woke up before her, so it would be a nice change of pace, she supposed.

Throwing a robe over her nude body, Ino started for the door but took one last indulgent moment and turned around, running her gaze over the sleeping genius. His black hair was unbound, contrasted messily over the white pillows. An arm poked out of the sheets, the faint white lines of his scars almost seeming to glow red in the sunrise. Ino hesitated with her hand on the doorknob, lingering for one last second before shaking her head and stepping out into the hallway.

* * *

The sun blared bright orange behind his closed eyes, and Shikamaru groaned as he shifted in bed. It was so warm and comfy and he didn't feel like getting up just yet. So the shadow user dozed for a few minutes, trying to get his bearings because he noticed the bed felt distinctly different from his one at home. In fact, he didn't remember getting into bed last night, but supposed that was because he was a little busy getting dumped by Temari—

Oh shit.

Jolting into a sitting position, Shikamaru's eyes darted to his left, expecting to see the figure of his blonde teammate but finding ruffled sheets instead. A light purple post-it was stuck to the pillow and Shikamaru's dark eyes snapped over the words like lightning.

_I'm not mad._

He groaned, but this time in anger at himself, burying his face in his hands. If the Nara needed proof that what happened last night wasn't a dream, then he found it.

Of all the stupid, idiotic things he could have done, it had to be this. Sleeping with his own teammate was bad already, but it also had to be on the terms that he was emotionally unstable and seeking comfort. And when someone had sex with you because you were reeling from a recent breakup, then it was a special kind of sex. More accurately, it was pity sex.

Because, you know, it's not as if he wasn't already pathetic enough.

Running a hand through his loose black hair, Shikamaru glanced over at the innocent-looking post-it stuck to the pillow and swiped it. His dark eyes scrutinized the little piece of paper with careful precision, trying to figure out from her neat handwriting if his blonde teammate was only trying to ease his own guilt. It would definitely be an Ino thing to do, he mused. If it was something stupid and trivial, she would rail at him for hours, pulling his ear and punching his shoulder to get her point across. But something serious? She clammed up like an oyster and safe-guarded the pearl like a mad woman. Although, Shikamaru knew Ino had always been a bit mad, so that's not too surprising. (It made him wonder if she stole the 'mad' part of his 'mad genius'.)

Sighing but fighting back the urge to mumble his all-time favourite word, Shikamaru crumpled the post-it in his hand and flung it into the trashcan on the other side of the room. He let himself wallow in his own self-pity for a few minutes before getting out of bed and pulling his clothes on, tying his hair in its customary ponytail. When he stepped out of the room, grim-faced and ready to confront Ino, a black blur barrelled into his leg. Shikamaru couldn't help the little grin that lightened over his face when the black blur, Asuma, peered happily up at him.

"Shii-nii-san!" he exclaimed.

"Hey 'Suma," Shikamaru replied, ruffling his hair. The two-year old squirmed under his hand, but was still smiling happily as he tugged on his idol's pant leg.

"Kitchen!" he crowed demandingly, and the lazy genius chuckled, sweeping the toddler into the crook of his arm. Asuma wound his chubby arms as best he could around Shikamaru's neck, kicking his feet and shouting, "Kitchen! Kitchen!" over and over again.

"Hai, hai," Shikamaru acquiesced, sauntering through the doorway of said kitchen. Ino was standing in front of the stove, humming to herself as she flipped a frying pan full of scrambled eggs. She already knew they were there, as any good ninja would, but merely continued to hum and cook. Asuma wriggled out of his human carrier and scrambled onto a seat, beaming in his 'No-nee-chan's direction, waiting for the yummy food.

"Eggs!" he exclaimed, and Ino turned, laughing.

"Yep, eggs!" she confirmed, scooping some onto the plate in front of the toddler. Shikamaru stood awkwardly in the doorway, wondering what her reaction to him was going to be. Although Ino said she 'wasn't mad', Shikamaru often learned that his hypotheses towards his blonde teammate were almost always wrong. She was an unpredictable mass of sunshine and blue skies, kind of like Naruto. The two of them were practically the only ninja on the planet still able to surprise him.

"Shikamaru!" Ino said suddenly, making him jump. There was a stern look on her face, her foot tapping the tiled floor. "Are you going to stand there like a dummy or sit down and eat? I went through the trouble of making you coffee, so you better drink it!" Shikamaru blinked once, and then ambled lazily over to his seat on the table, where there was a steaming cup of coffee sitting in front of his plate of bacon and eggs. Ino sniffed with satisfaction as he plopped onto his chair and took a large gulp of his bitter beverage. The scalding hot temperature didn't bother him as much as Ino's attitude.

She was acting normal, something Shikamaru knew was possible, but unlikely. He had expected her to be cold towards him, or at least apathetic because he had taken advantage of her. There were times when Ino was the quintessential independent woman, a feminist in all her slim glory. She had huge beef with the image of a woman as a possession, and often complained that shinobi didn't have to do seduction missions like kunoichi. It was actually because of her that Shikamaru was sent on his first seduction mission about a year ago. (Troublesome.)

If nothing else, Shikamaru would at least expect her to act nicer, as if to cushion the blow of Temari and his break-up. She would be all mother-hen-y and grating on his every nerve with her un-Ino-ness. Instead, he gets this; a normal Ino. The Ino that dotes on her 'little Su-kun' and smashes her fist in his face every chance she gets. And sitting there, jabbing eggs down his throat and watching Ino pour herself a glass of orange juice while wearing a plain white apron, Shikamaru wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"I didn't know you could be so domestic," Shikamaru commented randomly as Ino sat down. She shot him a glare, stabbing her eggs with her fork.

"Unlike _some_ people, I'm actually a motivated and hard-working person," she said haughtily, tossing her hair back. Shikamaru grinned behind his hand, choosing to remain silent and take another bite of her home-cooked breakfast. She was sneaking him surreptitious glances, and he thought for a moment that it was about what they did last night. But her blue eyes kept darting down to his plate, and he tried not to grin again.

"Not bad, Ino. You're a pretty good cook," he said, having cleared his plate. Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, taking a sip of his coffee. Ino seemed to puff with pride, attacking her own plate with gusto.

"Yeah, yeah!" Asuma exclaimed. "'No-nee-chan good!" Ino beamed at his compliment, stuffing a slice of bacon into her mouth. Shikamaru was glad that she had gotten over her whole diet thing from when they were twelve. Her body was toned with muscles and curvy with maturity. He was actually surprised that she wasn't going out every weekend with a date; she could definitely do it. But then Shikamaru remembered the moment on the hill, a couple of days ago.

Shit. She already loved someone, and she _still_ slept with him? He hoped she wasn't doing that because of Asuma-sensei's dying wish. Ino tended to blow things like that out of proportion. But at the same time, Shikamaru knew that a part of him was feeling smug because she didn't care enough about this secret love interest to put him above her teammates. As much as Shikamaru knew Ino could have a hundred guys at her feet with the snap of a finger, he also knew that him and Chouji would crush every. single. one of them.

"I done!" Asuma exclaimed, almost falling off his chair in his mad dash towards the living room. Ino sighed at his enthusiasm for his favourite TV show, taking their empty plates and dumping them in the sink where she began to wash them. Shikamaru observed her as she did, waiting to hear the TV turn on in the other room before standing up, hovering behind his teammate as she worked. There was a slight tensing of her shoulders when she sensed him there, but otherwise Ino looked quite relaxed.

The two clan heirs stood like that for a few minutes, the sound of the rushing water flowing over them. Ino was never a very patient person, but Shikamaru found himself the impatient one this time, waiting for her to say something. She remained strangely silent, and so the lazy genius didn't even realize his mouth had opened in anxiety until he said, "I'm sorry."

Ino tensed sharply; rigidly. "Don't," she murmured, her hands resuming scrubbing the plates. "I said I'm not mad." Shikamaru scoffed.

"Yeah, right. And I'm not a genius." Ino slammed her wet, soapy hand on the edge of the sink, whirling around to face him with narrowed eyes.

"I mean it," she bit out, trembling slightly. "I'm not mad, and don't you dare assume that you know what I'm thinking, Shikamaru." His shoulders slumped further down, showing he was disgruntled. Despite being a genius, Shikamaru never knew what she was thinking anyways, but that didn't mean he couldn't guess. Though one would think after knowing her for so many years…

"I'm not assuming anything," Shikamaru countered. "I just wanted to… to say sorry. About last night." Ino winced, and she sharply turned back around to the sink. He was surprised at her reaction (as always), thinking she was going to scoff at the ridiculousness of his statement, or at least agree with him vehemently and demand compensation of some kind. Instead, all he got was the silent treatment and a cold shoulder. How curious…

"Just go watch Asuma. I don't want him to break anything when he starts acting out his favourite characters or something," she said, head bent over the sink. Shikamaru didn't move, observing her carefully. Her blonde hair was draped over one shoulder, the nape of her neck privy to all, and he found himself reaching out to touch the little red marks marring her pale skin. She shivered at the touch and then jerked away from it. Shikamaru irrationally wished she hadn't moved.

"Was I rough?" he asked, his voice low. Ino was trembling again, but she didn't turn around to answer him.

"You don't remember?" she replied, her voice almost mocking, almost accusing. Shikamaru shrugged, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see the gesture.

"It's something of a blur," he lied. He was a genius; remembering things was what made him a formidable shinobi. So of course he remembered how she gasped wantonly against him, twisting her fingers into the sheets, arching her chest against his. Her touch was curiously absent from his body, their attention lathered onto the pillow, the bed sheets, or the mattress; anything but him. It was as if touching him would make it personal, like there was a consequence to her mutual reciprocation.

And yet... when he sank into her, when she smiled against his tears falling on her cheeks, he felt her touch more greatly than he ever had before.

"Too bad then. I'm not going to remind you," she said firmly, drying her hands off with a towel. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't argue. He couldn't, not when Kurenai walked in through the front door, her voice echoing through the house.

"I'm home!"

"MOMMY!"

The two of them looked in the direction of the door that led to the living room. A second later, Kurenai walked into the kitchen, holding her baby in her arms. She was sweaty and tired, but unmistakably happy as she held her little boy. "Good morning," she greeted, not at all surprised that Shikamaru was here. The genjutsu master probably thought that he had dropped by or something, as was normal for the members of Team Ten to do no matter if Kurenai was on a mission or not. But if the mother noticed the tension in the air, she didn't give any indication she did.

"Morning," Shikamaru and Ino both chorused.

"Thanks for staying with Asuma while I was gone," she thanked them, and they both shrugged it off. Kurenai grinned at their responses, setting her son on the floor. "I'm going to go take a shower. You can leave if you want." Ino jumped at the chance to leave, eager to get away from the house and from her and Shikamaru's conversation. She ripped off the apron, throwing it over Shikamaru`s head.

"Thanks, Kurenai-san! I'll see you later, Su-kun," she said, waving goodbye and jogging out the door. Shikamaru tore the kitchen accessory off his head, ready to chase after her when Kurenai pinned him with a peculiar gaze.

"Is she okay?" the jounin asked. He froze almost imperceptibly, but knew that it wouldn't be imperceptible if a ninja was the one watching. The red-eyed woman didn't seem to want to call him out on it, as Kurenai was never a sort of prying person, so he just shrugged nonchalantly so she would drop the subject. She did, allowing him to brush past her and head for the door, where he knew Ino was long gone from. (She was the fastest kunoichi in their group, second to Lee but on par with Sasuke).

Shikamaru ruffled Asuma's hair as he left, shutting the door behind him and looking up at the clouds. They were floating lazily by, but he strangely found no interest in them as his eyes turned to the purple dot weaving through the rooftops.

* * *

He remembered a long time ago, so long ago he was sure Ino didn't remember, about the first time they met. Logically, it would have happened through his parents and hers since the old men had been friends since their genin days. In actuality, their meeting was completely coincidental, a sudden tumbling of arms and legs and grass and dirt. She had tripped over his four year old body lying on the grass, disrupting his cloud time.

* * *

"_Ouch," he mumbled, too lazy to react more intensely. If Ino was anything like her fifteen year old self, she would have screamed at him for being stupid enough to get in her way. But this Ino was four years old and crying on top of that._

"_S-sorry," she sniffled, burying her face in his chest. Shikamaru knew that his father was a naturally chivalrous person, which was a trait he inherited (unfortunately). So it was because of this instinctive chivalry he held that instead of pushing her away and scowling about 'cooties', Shikamaru just awkwardly patted little Ino's short hair in comfort._

"_S'ok," he mumbled for lack of a better comforting phrase, stifling a sigh when she burst into tears, soaking his shirt with her salty bodily fluids. Her tiny hands fisted on his chest and she didn't move for a long while, clinging to the person who finally decided to offer her a modicum of sympathy. Shikamaru thought it was mildly troublesome, having a stranger crying on him, but was grateful that at least she wasn't blocking his view of the clouds._

_When his new cloud-watching buddy (sarcasm) finally stopped crying so loudly and lifted her head to peer at him, Shikamaru had already counted fifty-seven clouds that floated by. Thirteen of them had no discernible image, but five resembled geometric shapes and he swore one of them looked like his mother screaming at his dad—_

"_What are you doing?"_

_Shikamaru tried not to sigh in annoyance._

"_Watching the clouds," he muttered. The-person-he-would-come-to-know-as-Ino slid off his chest, landing on the grassy floor beside him. Unlike her older counterpart, she was not at all concerned about grass stains and dirt coating her clothes, and so simply sat beside the lazing Nara boy, blinking curiously down at him. Her earlier distress seemed to be completely forgotten as she angled her face towards the sky, tracking the progress of the clouds. _

"_Why?" she asked in her cherub, four-year old voice that most people found absolutely adorable. Shikamaru just wished it was gone and he wouldn't have to hear it again; it was disrupting the peace and quiet of his cloud-watching time. But that was apparently not going to happen when Ino stubbornly remained seated beside him, nudging him again. "Ne, why?" she asked again, wondering if perhaps he didn't hear her the first time. _

_Shikamaru grunted at the jabbing finger on his side, muttering, "Because I can," just to placate her. She didn't look very placated, just curious as she lay down beside her new friend, blinking up at the sky that was the same colour as her eyes. _

_They stayed like that for a long while, two pairs of wide, innocent eyes getting lost in the fluffy white clouds. It was only when the sky started to darken and the sun began to set that Shikamaru sat up, grumbling and yawning. "Getting late; we should go," he told her. Her eyes flickered over to him, before darting back to the sky washed in red and gold._

"_Not yet," she implored of him. "I wanna see the stars."_

_He was a bit surprised at her response, wondering if her parents were okay with it. I mean, as smart as Shikamaru was, he was still only four years old. If they didn't hurry, then his mom would start panicking and his dad would come and find him and then he'd get scolded by both parents, one on the way home and the other at the house itself. But there was a peculiar look on the girl's face, one that spoke of something deeper than just a simple rebellious action. So, sighing a bit as if to prepare for his approaching reprimand, Shikamaru flopped back down on the grass and waited for the day to fade to night. _

* * *

It was only when the night was mottled with little blinking lights that Shikamaru and Ino finally got up, ready to head home. As the boy genius predicted, his dad had come to the hill looking for him, a stern expression on his face. What he didn't predict was the expression fading when he caught sight of his son's blonde companion, twisting to one of sympathy and comfort. And it was then that Shikamaru was introduced to Yamanaka Ino, the daughter of Yamanaka Hana, a woman whose funeral was held earlier that day.

* * *

Chouji hovered over the smoking grill, the scent of deliciously cooking meat wafting to his nose. His eyes were trained on the especially juicy one in the far corner, his chopsticks ready and waiting to snatch it up. Beside him, Shikamaru lazily lifted his chopsticks to eat, his eyes trained stubbornly on their female teammate across the table. She was fussing over the fourth member of the table, little Asuma who had gotten rice all over his chubby cheeks.

"More!" Asuma said after his cheeks were wiped. Chouji thought it was kind of useless doing that, granted he was just going to get more rice on his face. He decided not to mention it while watching Ino smile in this… _way_ as she cleaned her Su-kun's cheeks with a napkin. It was a sweet and nice smile and Chouji wanted it to stay on her face.

"What do you say?" Ino asked, and Asuma smiled widely.

"Please!" he answered. Ino smiled giddily and kissed him on the forehead, gushing praises. She leant out to pick up a piece of meat, only to be stopped by Chouji's chopsticks.

"Not that one," he told her. That was going to be hard to chew. He moved her chopsticks to the one he had been eyeing earlier and Ino smiled in thanks and picked it up, snipping it into small pieces with the scissors the waitress gave her. Shikamaru gave him a look (he probably knew Chouji wanted that piece) but simply went back to eating. Chouji smiled sunnily when Asuma looked at him and beamed, showing his perfectly square baby teeth.

"Good!" he exclaimed. Of course it was good; Chouji had an excellent eye for food. As it was, he simply patted the little boy on the head and went to pick up the second-best piece of meat on the grill, which he supposed was now the best piece. Ino cleaned off her greasy fingers with a moist napkin and dug into her pouch for a few ryo.

"I have to go," she told them, kissing Asuma on the forehead as he munched on the bite-sized pieces of beef. Shikamaru eyed her suspiciously while she stood up, depositing her share of the bill on the table.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Chouji was kind of surprised that Shikamaru asked in the first place, looking over at him. There was a stubborn set in his jaw, like he was trying not to grind his teeth. It was an expression Chouji saw many a time on Ino's face, and wondered if somehow his teammates had decided to switch facial expressions for the day. Shikamaru was often the one with the exasperated look, and yet Ino was the one wearing it now.

"To the flower shop. I have a shift in five minutes," she answered rather nonchalantly. Shikamaru, placated by her answer, turned back to the steaming slabs of meat roasting on the grill. Ino grinned and rolled her eyes at him, amused at his suspicion. "I'll see you guys later, okay?" Chouji waved as she left the restaurant, her long ponytail swinging gently behind her. He waited a few seconds, to make sure she wasn't coming back, before turning to Shikamaru.

"What was that about?" he asked. Shikamaru tensed.

"What was what about?" the lazy genius countered, feigning obliviousness. If Chouji was Ino, he'd have rolled his eyes. As it was, the larger ninja simply shook his head and went back to his yakiniku. He toyed with the idea of pushing the topic, but Asuma was making a bit of a mess on the other side of the table. Chouji switched seats, taking Ino's abandoned one and using a napkin to clean the child's cherub cheeks.

"Fank you Cho-nii-san!" Asuma exclaimed, grinning up at his pseudo-older brother. Chouji patted his head, smiling softly. The young kid went back to eating, his chin level with the table and his arms barely able to reach over the table. To help him, Chouji lifted Asuma onto his lap, using his body as a booster seat. Asuma was delighted with the new perspective granted to him, ignoring his food and reaching for the smoke of the grill. Chouji stopped him before he could burn himself, not noticing his friend smirking at him from across the table.

"You'd make a good dad, Chouji," Shikamaru said. Startled, Chouji looked up at the strategist.

"What? N-no, I wouldn't," he protested, his cheeks flushed pink. Asuma, curious as to the colour staining his 'Cho-nii-san's' cheeks, reached up and patted his face. The action only resulted in darkening the colour.

"Yeah, you would," Shikamaru assured. "Asuma loves you." Chouji fidgeted in embarrassment.

"W-well, Asuma loves you too. I guess that means you'd make a good dad too, yeah?" He nodded, as if satisfied with his assessment. Shikamaru grimaced and shook his head. Him? A father? He didn't think so. Kids were so troublesome; Asuma was enough of a handful for him.

"Shii-nii-san, Cho-nii-san," Asuma spoke up, blinking cutely at his two pseudo-older brothers. "Who my daddy?"

They both froze.

"A-Asuma-kun," Chouji stuttered, at a loss for what to say. Desperate, he turned to Shikamaru for guidance, but the genius was speechless as well, his face wracked with sorrow and guilt. Asuma, confused, looked up at Chouji.

"Cho-nii-san? Why Shii-nii-san sad?" he asked in his cherub voice, in his oh-so-innocent tone. "Why Cho-nii-san cry?" He reached up with his baby hands, patting his Cho-nii-san's cheeks to clear away the tears. When the tears continued to fall, and Asuma realized that his Cho-nii-san was very, very sad, he began to cry as well. "Waahh!"

"No, Asuma-kun, don't cry!" Chouji panicked, unsure what to do. Ino was usually the one who dealt with Asuma in his emotional states. Shikamaru wasn't any help either, looking rather anxious on the other side of the table. It seemed that neither of them were built for fatherhood yet, and Kurenai knew it quite well as she advanced on them, having come to pick Asuma up from their monthly yakiniku lunches. (It was a way for them to feel closer to her husband, the older kunoichi supposed.)

"Asuma-kun," Kurenai cooed softly, quieting his cries and wiping away his tears in that way only a mother could do to her child. He sniffled, hugging her tightly. "What's wrong?" she asked softly, kissing his forehead. "Does your tummy hurt?" Asuma shook his head, still clinging to his mom as he looked up at her.

"Shii-nii-san and Cho-nii-san sad," he told her, rubbing his eyes. "Make me sad too."

Kurenai looked to the two shinobi for answers, and they both tensed up. Shikamaru's gaze quickly transferred to his plate, while Chouji cleared his throat and quickly rubbed away his tears. "He... he asked about..." Chouji stammered, shifting nervously, hesitating. His lips clamped shut, as if to say the name – to mention him – was taboo. Even after all these years, his death was a topic of intense vulnerability. But Kurenai understood.

She smiled, smoothing her hand over her son's dark hair that was so much like his father's. "Would you like to see him?" she asked, holding his small hands in hers. "Would you like to say hello to your daddy?"

A beautiful smile spread over Asuma's face, contrasting the shocked ones behind him. He jumped for joy, cheering in excitement. "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" he yelled, attracting the attention of other customers. Kurenai hushed him, but could not stop the beaming smile on his face as he jittered excitedly. It made Shikamaru's heart sink down to his stomach, and he almost snapped the chopsticks in his hand. He wondered how Kurenai could look so serene as she paid for Asuma's portion of the meal, before taking his hand and guiding him out the restaurant.

"Bye Cho-nii-san! Bye Shii-ni-san! I go see daddy now!" he said, waving goodbye to them as he and his mother left. It left the two ninja to look at each other, a sombre mood falling unto their corner of the room.

"Should we...?" Chouji asked, his silent question immediately understood to his best friend. Shikamaru shook his head, his hands quivering lightly. The barbeque was hot with fire, the meat still sizzling on the grill. Around them, families and friends chattered, their conversations blending into white noise.

"No," Shikamaru spoke quietly. "This is... something we should leave to Kurenai-san."

Chouji could only nod.

* * *

Ino hummed as she alternated between skipping, hopping, and walking towards the flower shop. It was not a lie when she told her teammates she had a shift at the shop, but it didn't start for at least another half an hour. Truthfully, she felt a bit stifled in the restaurant, what with Shikamaru's glare trained permanently on her face. It seemed he had not eased up on that ridiculous notion in his head to apologize to her every chance he got. Not to mention, he treated her a bit more carefully than before, as if she was micro-milliseconds away from exploding in his face, which she wasn't.

"Stupid Shikamaru," she grumbled, her hands cushioning her head as she looked up at the clouds. "Go back to being lazy and stop chasing me around." Because if he didn't stop, she was going to start hoping again. She couldn't start hoping again; it almost killed her the first time. It pushed her into this complicated situation, this estranged friendship that was slowly wearing her down.

Ino sighed, looking back down and dropping her arms. How did this even start, this annoying feeling that she had for her oldest friend? How did any of it start?

A giggle made her turn her head, and she watched in amusement as Naruto gestured wildly, knocking over a salt shaker as Hinata doubled over in laughter. He appeared very flustered over his 'uncool' action, picking the shaker up off the floor and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Hinata wiped the laughing tears from the corner of her eyes, smiling gently at him. He was calmed by her soft look, reaching out to grab her hand. Their fingers entwined beneath the table, and Ino's heart swelled.

That was love. That simple, tiny act of affection.

"Hey Ino!" Naruto called, waving to catch her attention. The two of them smiled at her where she stood numbly in the street. Ino hadn't realized she stopped walking, and waved back, starting towards them sitting on the patio of a local coffee shop she, Hinata, and Sakura often frequented. Ino supposed Hinata was trying to expand her boyfriend's horizon of places to eat.

"Hi guys!" she greeted cheerfully, the mask to hide her sadness falling flawlessly into place. "On a date?" The teasing tone of her voice made them blush, causing her own grin to widen. They were so adorably shy as they nodded.

"I'm going to go get another cookie," Naruto said abruptly, an embarrassed but determined look on his face as he stood up, marching inside the store. Ino laughed at his exit, winking at Hinata who simply smiled.

"He's surprisingly shy about this whole thing," Ino remarked as the Hyuuga heiress played with her fingers.

"Naruto-kun is not sure how he should act, I think," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "He is so used to giving his love to others that he does not know how to accept it when it is given to him." Ino mulled silently over Hinata's words, not surprised at the girl's insight, but not necessarily expecting it either.

"So you don't think he loves you?" Ino asked her, stealing Naruto's seat. Hinata smiled and laughed quietly.

"Naruto loves everyone," she replied, looking past Ino to the inside of the store, where Naruto was waiting patiently behind a line of people. He turned to look at her, and she waved briefly. His reciprocated wave was a little more enthusiastic than hers, making the two girls laugh as he accidentally smacked into an old woman. They watched in silence as he apologized to her profusely. The kindly old woman took it in stride, patting his cheek to reassure him she was not hurt.

Ino looked back at Hinata, who was smiling softly at the old woman's acceptance and kindness to the person she loved. The quiet girl was dressed in her usual blue jacket, which Ino knew covered the scar that rested over her torso, received from the leader of Akatsuki himself. The courage it must have taken for such a gentle person to face such a terrifyingly powerful man...

"How did you ever do it?" Ino asked suddenly, catching Hinata's attention. "How did you survive all those years without giving up on him?"

Hinata thought about it, her eyes flickering to the side as a breeze swept through the patio, her long hair dancing to its silent melody. "It is not so much surviving," Hinata pondered, "as it is to simply love him." She blushed and smiled shyly at Ino, scratching her cheek, a habit she no doubt picked up from her boyfriend. "Ah, what I mean is that I do not love him because I wish to be loved in return. I always believed I did not have a chance, but that never bothered me; his happiness is what matters."

_His happiness is what matters._

"Yeah," Ino smiled, "you're right."

* * *

"_Shikamaru!_"

"Ow!"

He jolted up from the ground, eyes widened as Ino stood menacingly over him. She kicked him in the leg, which he did not expect even though he heard her footsteps trekking up the hill. She had seemed so calm and subdued towards him the past few weeks that the reversion back to her normal self was... well... abnormal. But he was not a man to complain, so he simply grimaced and rubbed the impending bruise on his calf.

"What Ino?" he asked brusquely, lying back down on the grass. The sun was setting, casting pinks and purples across the sky. Ino looked magnificent against the sunset, her blue eyes almost like a remnant of the bright, blue sky, stubbornly refusing to follow its brethren to rest. She hovered over him, a frown etched on her face as she glared. She nudged his foot.

"It's been two weeks," she reminded, and Shikamaru bit the inside of his mouth. Here we go: she was going to demand an apology from him, and not one of the spoken kind. I want this and that and the other thing, and they better be high-class and expensive, nothing cheap! Oh, do this for me, Shikamaru. What? You don't want to? Even after I let you ravish my beautiful body? Do you know how many men would cut off their left arm just to spend one night with me? You ungrateful lazy bum!

He sighed heavily. "I said I was sorry, Ino," he told her, his dark eyes flickering to the side. Looking at her was too difficult when he apologized, since his mind would bring up the images of that night, her pale blonde hair spread under him, his fingers wrapped around the silken strands. But he could never remember the way her face looked, if her sky blue eyes were darkened with lust or pity. He wondered if it was because of the tears that gathered in his eyes, if they blurred his vision.

Ino kicked him again.

"Ow!"

"I don't care about that, you stupid bum!" she yelled at him. "I meant Temari! Te-Ma-Ri!"

Shikamaru sat up, looking at her with confusion. "What about her?" he asked, his heart panging gently from the mention of her name. Ino growled, slapping her hand against her forehead and sliding it down her face.

"Men," she cursed, rolling her eyes. Ino smacked him in the head, drawing out a yelp. "What do you mean, 'what about her'? Don't you want her back?" She kicked him in the shin this time, another bruise forming. He scrambled back, keeping his legs out of her range, tired of being assaulted by his teammate.

"I... but she broke up with me!" he defended. "What's the use of trying to get back together with her if she doesn't even want me?" Sullenly, he scowled down at the grass, his chin cushioned in his palm.

"Of course she wants you back," Ino scoffed, crossing her arms. "Temari's just mad because you guys are so far away from each other. Long-distance relationships are—"

"—Troublesome," Shikamaru finished, looking up at her. He was no longer scowling, but there was a pout on his face. Ino grinned.

"Yeah, troublesome." She crouched down in front of him, her arms wrapped around her legs. His head turned to the side, avoiding her piercing gaze. "Don't you want her back?" she asked, almost whispered. Shikamaru tensed, fingers curling in the grass. He _did_ want her back, but he was still not sure she wanted him back as well. Ino could see it in the emotions that played through his eyes. No matter how dark it was, Ino could always see the emotions that ran across the obsidian of his gaze, hiding his incredibly bright mind.

Shikamaru was not replying, and Ino didn't feel like prodding him. She unwrapped her arms from around her legs and let herself fall back onto the grass, looking up to the black sky. The stars were starting to come out, making her smile. They were so beautiful, a dotted starry sky that stretched farther than her eyes could see. It reminded her of a blanket she had as a child, the way her mother tucked her into it at night. She loved the stars.

There was the sound of shuffling, and Ino didn't need to turn her head to know that Shikamaru was lying beside her, also looking up into the night sky. She didn't know he enjoyed stargazing as well, since he usually was asleep by this time, having come home from a 'gruelling' day of cloud-watching. The two of them were silent, simply basking in the quiet, the soft rustle of the trees as another breeze passed. Ino's arms were spread out, and she wondered if Shikamaru's hand was close enough to her that if she spread them a bit more, she could touch him.

"Why do you care?" he asked, suddenly, from beside her. Her finger twitched, brushing against a piece of grass. It tickled, and she rubbed her fingers to make the feeling go away. The achy feeling in her chest stayed though, and Ino knew it wouldn't go away no matter how much she rubbed it.

"Why wouldn't I care?" she asked breezily, as if to brush it off. Shikamaru, for all of his two hundred plus IQ, could not find an answer to that, and so he did not say anything at all. They fell into another silence, this time somewhat strained. Ino ignored it, as she was so good at doing, but Shikamaru shifted nervously at the feeling as it swirled around them. He wondered when she had become so stone-cold, and when he had turned so empathic. Usually it was the other way around.

The stars twinkled above them, now speckled all across the night sky, some brighter than others. Shikamaru didn't know much about stars, although he could point out the North Star (good for navigation on missions) and the Big Dipper. Beside him, Ino lay quiet, but he knew that if she wanted to she could name all the constellations in the sky, and then some. She often did it on missions when they couldn't sleep, making a fuss in the morning about how they had fallen asleep while she was talking. Shikamaru knew the blonde wasn't truly angry though, since the whole point of naming constellations was to lull them to sleep.

He smirked slightly in the dark. Ino was always doing things in such a roundabout troublesome way. This was why women in general were troublesome; they were never direct about what they wanted. He supposed it was no different now, stargazing with Ino as she avoided his question. It made him realize that, although they had stargazed together plenty of times, it was always on a mission and always with Chouji (and Asuma-sensei when he was still alive).

This was... only the second time they've looked at the stars together, on this hill where they first met.

Has it really been fourteen years?

"We should get going," Shikamaru told her, though he made no move to get up. There was no father to scold him when he got back home too late, since he lived in his own apartment. A part of him still felt like saying it though, and he knew it was connected to that memory of the first time they met. She was so small then; they both were. It was astounding to him how much they grew, how little they understood as children; even him, intelligent as he was as a toddler.

Ino was not moving, so he shifted, beginning to lift himself off the ground. He only got partway to sitting up when there was the slightest brush of something against his hand, making him pause. Shikamaru looked down to see what it was, although he already had an idea. And, not surprisingly, he was right.

It was her fingers, gently curled upon the grass, just a whisper away from his hand. She did not turn to look at him, keeping her shadowed blue eyes on the ceiling of speckled lights above them. He wondered for a moment if he had only imagined the brush of her hand against his, but when he turned away and started to get up again, her fingers tucked loosely into his palm.

"Ino?" He turned back to her, and this time she was looking at him, her eyes softly pleading.

"Just a bit more," she whispered, and the words struck at his heart. It was that night, that memory; the first time they met all over again.

He couldn't bring himself to say no.

Ino smiled when he laid back down, her hands still gently caressing the callused skin of his palm. She traced the fortune lines on his palm, her fingers cold. Without even thinking about it, Shikamaru enfolded her fingers in his hand, the warmth of his body seeping into her chilled one. Ino jerked a bit at the firm contact, her head briefly glancing over to him. Her fingers wiggled once, but otherwise she didn't protest.

"You know," Ino said, her voice quiet but loud enough to gain his attention, "I used to stargaze a lot as a kid." Shikamaru shifted, turning to look at her as she smiled up at the sky. "I don't remember it, but dad told me my mother loved to stargaze, and she wanted her daughter to love it too so she took me out every night to look at the stars." Her head turned down, and they locked eyes. Her smile was haunting in the moonlight, and Shikamaru was struck by how sadly her eyes shone.

"Do you remember when we first met?" he blurted out softly, in a hushed tone. Ino grinned.

"Yeah. I tripped over you on this hill when we were four." Shikamaru smirked.

"Troublesome then, troublesome now. Some things don't change, huh?"

"What was that?" Ino demanded, sitting up, a teasing glint taking over the sadness. "Take that back, you lazy bum!" she laughed, leaning over to thump him with her fist. He caught her wrist and quickly rolled over, trapping her beneath him. "Shikamaru!" she laughed again, her other wrist also caught in his other hand. "Let me go!"

"Nah, I'm good with not being maimed today," he drawled, his strength easily overpowering hers, keeping her locked underneath him. It didn't help that Ino was bursting into giggles, the pitter-patter of her laughter stealing the breath from her body. She half-heartedly tried to wrench her arms away, but he was steadfast and pinned them to the floor.

"You big bully," she giggled.

"You started it," he countered, and she stuck her tongue out at him. Shikamaru let her go, easing back into a sitting position. Ino sat up, the last of the giggles leaving her as she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms loosely around her legs. The lazy genius played with a few blades of grass, a bit embarrassed at their play-fighting. Ino was content, smoothing her mussed hair back, combing the locks of her hair with her fingers. He watched her, the rhythmic tug and pull of her tangled hair straightening out. "Why do you care?" he asked again, and this time he knew she would tell him the truth.

Ino looked over at him, the smile gone from her lips. She continued to comb her hair, releasing it from its confinement. It fell around her like waves, a thick mass of silk that tickled as it skimmed against her bare skin. "I want you to be happy," she replied, and he felt the sincerity of her words. It made the guilt rear up again.

"I'm sorry."

She winced. "Please don't say that."

Shikamaru's eyes slanted downwards in confusion and slight irritation. "But I _am_ sorry," he repeated. Ino's hands dropped from her hair, and she sighed, locking eyes with him. Defeat seemed to slump her shoulders, regret shimmered in her gaze.

"But I'm not."

His confusion was quickly swept away by the light touch of her lips on his.

"_Ino..._"


End file.
